How Stress Affects Your Hormones

This is Part One of a two part series on hormone imbalance

Is your life making your hormones go haywire?

Well, yes. Especially these days.

It happens to all of us at some point. No matter your age, hormone imbalance can feel like a never ending battle. The bloating, brain fog, fatigue, insomnia, cravings, and extra weight around the middle. All roads can lead to a hormone imbalance and stress could be the cause.

Recently stress kicked my ass.

While working full time, finishing nutrition school, enrolling in Marie Forleo's, phenomenal, but INTENSE 8 week business school, I thought it would be a great idea to build a second website. Yes, a second website with no help! Well, I finished school and my website, but not without taxing my body to the point of exhaustion, among other things.

Yes stress was beating the shit out of me. For sure I had hormone imbalance. I was about to drop- literally. Something had to give. I stopped and reevaluated the situation. I had to give myself permission to stop, rest, and take care of myself. Everything could wait. My health was more important.

Does this sound familiar? Killing yourself?

As women we don't stop. Don't ask for help, and feel guilty if we rest. (God forbid we take the weekend to do nothing)

There are so many demands to be met. Working long hours, running our kids around, taking care of our homes, trying to be the best partner, engage in every social situation we are asked to attend, and be there for our friends and family. Running ourselves ragged with little to no self care.

Its crazy! As if we could do any of those things one at a time even remotely well if we can barely stand up.

We are then often left feeling depleted. This is because the "on switch" is left in the on position and is never turned off. The switch is supposed to be turned off when the momentary stressor is over. But we are living a lifestyle of constant go, go, go. Not to mention its a stressful world. So the switch is left in the on position 24/7.

Living in this constant state can wreak havoc on our health. In particular serious hormone imbalance.

The hormone imbalance-stress connection:

Bare with me while I get a little scientific on you. It starts in our brains with the hypothalamus and the pituitary. They work together secreting the hormone cortisol and adrenaline respectively. It is supposed to be this way. These are the hormones that put your body into action when you are in danger. This is what is known as the fight or flight response, your sympathetic nervous system at work.

But here is the problem: If you are living one crazy stressful life where you are under chronic stress, cortisol is being pumped into you like an oil spill in the Gulf. With no clean up crew in sight.

Cortisol is the most potent hormone that can cause a host of problems if not kept in check, take a look:

• Raises blood sugar
• Is an anti-inflammatory that suppresses your immune system
• Increases your appetite
• Increases cravings, like sugar
• Increases body fat around waist
• Increases anxiety & depression
• Mood swings
• Decreases libido
• Poor memory & learning
• Increases symptoms of PMS
• Increases menopause symptoms like hot flashes & night sweats

Not to mention chronic stress can also lead to adrenal fatigue. This is because the pituitary is the leader of the endocrine system- your thyroid, adrenals and ovaries. It is a chain reaction- if the pituitary is working overtime, then it is stimulating your endocrine system to do the same.

Whoa! I know back in the day, I had no idea. Yes, I knew stress wasn't good for you, but I didn't know the extent of it. Now it all makes sense.

Here's the other thing-  when you succumb to your sugar cravings when under stress, the sugar stimulates the production of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that lowers our blood sugar. So the combo of high cortisol and high insulin can cause fat to settle around our organs, particularly the belly. This fat creates A LOT of inflammation, the underlying cause of autoimmune disease, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. So careful getting your sugar fix when stressed out for the love of all things holy!

So how can I reduce stress & improve my hormone imbalance? Get your chill on!

First, like I did, evaluate your life. We cannot be everything to everyone. You have to decide what can go, what can be put on hold and learn to say no. I had to put some things on hold and get serious about the situation. I listened to my body, put the pause on business school, went back to my daily meditation and got some sleep. One thing at a time!

Here are 10 ways you too can reduce stress:

1. Do stress reducing activities (pick your fave: knitting, painting, listening to music, reading....)
2. Yoga
3. Meditation- start with 5-10 minutes a day
4. Exercise
5. Deep breathing
6. Get plenty of sleep (no screen time one hour before bed!)
7. Eating healthy whole foods
8. Cut the negative self talk
9. Let it go
10. Learn to love yourself just as you are

That last one you are probably scoffing at. Yes I heard you. Love myself? YES! It's not foo foo woo woo. When you love yourself you are more relaxed and better able to make healthy choices. You are less likely to be living in fear. You are ultimately less stressed. You are also better equipped to be there for your family and friends, thus creating a ripple.

Honor yourself, put yourself first, and chill. Your body will thank you for it;) 

Thank you so much for reading. If you know of anyone who might benefit from this post please share it!

Until next time,

Much much love to you,

xoxo

Shannon